Vehicle door latch mechanisms normally contain two portions, a structural portion and an operator portion for operating the components of the structural portion. The structural portion usually comprises a pawl and a ratchet with the ratchet engaging and capturing a striker mounted on the body for securing the striker and thus securely closing the door to the car body.
Various proposals have been made for door latch mechanisms and operators some of which are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,523,704; 3,697,105; 3,848,910; 3,858,919; 4,334,704; 4,289,342; 4,196,925; 4,005,887; 4,440,006; 4,487,441 and 4,494,782. See also Canadian Letters Patent 1,128,094 and German Offenlegungsschrift 2,403,238.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,523,704 typifies older latch mechanisms employing four different levers and many other parts making the mechanism complex and costly to manufacture and assemble.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,105 purports to teach a "floating" pin for connection purposes. The pin floats in two slots in a release lever and locking lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,910 purports to teach a locking mechanism for doors or the like, especially for motor vehicle doors which contains a latching element engaging during the closing of the door in a closure member; the closed position of the latching element is locked by a locking pawl which is disengageable from the latching element by a disengaging lever; a safety lever is coordinated to the latching pawl for purposes of blocking its disengaging movement or interrupting its connection while a forced locking lever is connected with the safety lever and includes a part following the latching pawl during actuation of the safety lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,919 purports to teach a motor vehicle door latch wherein a coupling body on the doorpost is lockingly engageably by a pawl on the door edge which, in turn, is blockable by an operating lever. The latch has an actuating member which is operated by the door handles and is connected by a link to the operating lever. The actuating member is formed with a slot in which a pin carried by the locking mechanism is engaged. The operating lever has a guide surface with which the pin is only engageable when the pin is towards one end of the guide slot. Thus when the pin is at the other end of the guide slot the two elements are effectively disconnected and the door cannot be opened by actuation of either of the handles. But should either handle be retained in the actuated position and the locking mechanism be operated to unlock the door, the link will move along in the groove, engage the guide surface on the operating lever, and cam this lever over to free the pawl and operate the lock. This pin may be made of a synthetic resin having a low coefficient of friction such as polytetrafluorethylene.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,704 purports to teach an automobile door locking mechanism incorporating a child-lock device which is connected to an actuator lever of the mechanism through idle means and operable to keep the locking mechanism in a locking condition even when a locking knob is released and a door handle or button is manipulated and which allows the door or button to move idly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,342 purports to teach a motor vehicle door lock which comprises a ratchet locking mechanism, being a preferably bolt-shaped catch of which there can engage the flanks of two locking teeth which are arranged one behind the other and which are arranged on a pivotable locking lever which is pressed into the locking position by spring pressure and which, upon a movement of the catch relative to the lever during the locking of the door, can be pivoted by the catch against the spring pressure. For the opening of the lock there engages in the locking lever or is secured thereto, a driving member by means of which the locking lever can be removed from the catch to such an extent that the respective abutting tooth edge becomes disengaged.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,925 purports to teach an improved door lock mechanism having an opener plate which can pivot to move a detent to a locking or unlocking position, the detent being able to open or close the door latch. The opener plate is further movable to an activating or non-activating position by a first locking lever connected to a garnish button for movement against a turn-over snap action spring and a second locking lever covering the first locking lever and connected to a key cylinder for movement with the cylinder without lost motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,887 purports to teach a keyless door locking mechanism for an automotive vehicle comprising a latch member engageable with a striker element on the vehicle body during closing of the door, a detent element engageable with the latch member for keeping the same latch when engaged by the striker, a release element having a shoulder being connectable with the detent for releasing engagement of the latch member and the detent in an unlocked position thereof, a locking lever for moving the release element to a locked position to free the connection of the detent and the release element, a keyless locking lever being moveable with the locking lever between the unlocked and locked positions thereof and being further moveable to a keyless locked position, a cancelling lever moveable with the locking lever between the unlocked and locked positions thereof and further moveable to the keyless locked position and being engageable with the detent to return the locking lever moved to its locked position during door opening to its unlocked position upon door closure, but being disengaged with the detent by the keyless locking lever at the locked position thereof to maintain the locking lever so moved to its locked position during door opening to keylessly lock the door lock mechanism upon door closure, and a manually operable inside rod for moving the keyless locking lever to its locked position independently of the locking lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,006 purports to teach a central door-lock system having a plurality of door latches each including a detent displaceable between an open position securing the respective door to the respective doorpost and a closed position permitting the respective door to separate from the respective doorpost, a manual door-opening handle, mechanism including a primary latch member connected to the handle and connectable to the detent and moveable between a lock position preventing this handle from displacing the detent between its open and closed positions and an unlock position permitting the handle to displace the detent between the open and closed positions, and a secondary latch member displaceable between a lock position urging the primary latch member into the respective lock position while permitting the primary latch member to move into the respective unlock position, an unlock position permitting the primary latch member to move freely between the respective lock and unlock positions, and an antitheft position positively holding the primary member in the respective lock position. In addition, respective servoactuators for the latches each include an operator linearly displaceable between lock, unlock, and antitheft positions, an actuator element entrainable by the respective operator, connected to the respective secondary latch member, and jointly displaceable therewith between the respective positions, and a reversible electric servomotor and a rack-and-pinion gear train connected between this motor and the respective operator for displacing the respective secondary latch member via the respective actuator element and operator between the respective lock, unlock, and antitheft positions. A central switch is connected to the servomotors for operating same jointly and thereby jointly displacing the secondary latch members between the respective positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,782 purports to teach a drive device for a locking mechanism of a motor vehicle door lock which can be fastened by means of a central locking installation comprising an operating element which is guided on a housing for linear displacement between a fastening position and an unfastening position and is coupled with the fastening mechanism. A motor drives the operating element in both directions of displacement. A locking lever mounted on the housing for pivoting about a spindle extending transversely of the direction of displacement of the operating element in its locking position blocks the operating element when it is situated in the fastening position. Thus the fastening mechanism in the locked condition cannot be unfastened manually. The locking lever is pivoted by a rotating drive through an eccentric. The eccentric engages in an aperture of the locking lever. The aperture permits a pivoting movement of the eccentric of more than 180.degree., while a stop face of the aperture limits the range of rotation of the eccentric. The end positions of the eccentric are situated, both in the locking position and in the unlocking position of the locking lever in a "beyond-dead-point position", so that the locking device holds the locking lever in self-locking manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,441 purports to teach a child-proof door locking device for use with an automotive door which comprises a base plate securely attached to the door, an inside lever pivotally connected to the base plate and pivotally movable in response to handling of the inside handle, an outside lever pivotally connected to the base plate and pivotally movable in response to handling of the outside handle, a first device for causing the latching device to assume its inoperative condition when the outside lever is pivoted in a given direction, a second device for linking the outside lever with the inside lever so that pivoting of the inside lever in a given direction induces the pivoting of the outside lever in the given direction, and a child-proof lever pivotally connected to the base plate and disengaging the second device from the inside lever when assuming its child-proof position.
Canadian Letters Patent 1,128,094 purports to teach an automobile door locking mechanism comprising a latch rotatable upon engagement with a striker, a ratchet for preventing the rotation of the latch in the direction for releasing its engagement with the striker, an actuator plate for releasing the engagement of the ratchet with the latch, connecting means for effecting and releasing the engagement of the actuator plate with the ratchet, and a rotary lever operable to actuate the actuator plate in response to operation of an interior door handle, in which another lever is pivotally fitted to a shaft which pivotally locates the rotary lever, one of said levers being formed with a slot opening which extends radially with respect to the shaft and the other being formed with a slot opening having an idle opening which extends circumferentially with respect to the shaft, and a connector means having a part which passes through the slot openings at a right angle to the plane of rotation of the levers, said connector means being connected to a child lock change lever so as to slidingly change its location within the slot openings and said another lever being connected to the interior door handle, whereby to determine whether actuation of the actuator plate is possible in response to operation of said handle.
As is apparent, the said mechanism are complex in their use, manufacture, assembly and/or operation. It is also clear from the substantial number of parts in each mechanism that each of the mechanisms' weight and size (particularly each of their thicknesses or depths) is substantially increased.
See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,512,141; 2,118,729; 3,525,545; 3,904,230; 4,289,342 and 4,312,527 relating to other aspects of the structural portions of latches and their operation.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved operator mechanism suitable for use in a door latch mechanism or individually housed for use for operating structural portions of a door latch.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a mechanism with a minimum number of parts, and thus minimum weight and thickness.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a compact mechanism easily manufactured and simple to assemble having versatility in use.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide such mechanism at minimum cost.
It is a further object of this invention to permit the improved operator mechanism to be incorporated into a module which may then be secured to other components (for example structural components) or with the structural components in the same module.
Further and other objects of the invention will be realized by those skilled in the art from the following summary of the invention and detailed description of embodiments thereof.